Virginia’s new Congressional members are becoming increasingly active in efforts to end a partial government shutdown.
Virginia Beach-area Democrat Elaine Luria is trying to get colleagues to sign on to a plan to immediately reopen the government followed by a timeline for a guaranteed vote on Homeland Security funding. "What we’re trying to say is we need to return to regular order. We need to open the government," Luria said. "We need to take these issues to committee and analyze them in a facts-based way and have all the information we need to make smart decisions about border security."
Central Virginia Republican Denver Riggleman says he expects to see movement toward a solution in the next week. "You have a lot of rank and file, the newer members, who really want to get something done, so you do hear a lot of bipartisanship on the floor. But right now this is leader directed on both sides," Riggleman admitted.
Riggleman says he supports physical border security where it’s needed. But he also said the country’s immigration system needs reform to allow more workers into the country legally, especially for agricultural jobs.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
